On the Wagon: Shemp Howard and the perils of sneaking home

Is this for you?

If you have a soft spot for the kind of frantic, black-and-white slapstick where men get hit with kitchen utensils, you’ll probably find something to chuckle at here. It’s barely a movie, really—more like a long, chaotic sketch that doesn't overstay its welcome. If you hate old-school pratfalls or people whispering way too loudly in hallways, just skip it.

Shemp Howard has this way of moving that makes every single step look like a chore. He and Roscoe Ates are trying to navigate their house without waking the mother-in-law, who is waiting in the dark with a rolling pin. It’s the oldest trope in the book, but there's something about the way Shemp winces before he even gets hit that works.

The Neighbor Problem

The whole thing goes off the rails when they end up in the wrong house. You know how it is—one minute you're trying to hide from a family member, and the next you're apologizing to a guy who clearly spends his weekends wrestling bears. The scale of the neighbor's husband compared to Shemp is just absurd. It’s the kind of visual gag that didn't need a script, just a good casting director.

• The rolling pin is basically a character of its own.
• The lighting in that hallway is so dim you can barely see where the walls end.
• There’s a moment where Shemp tries to be quiet and ends up making more noise than a construction crew.

It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in The Manicure Girl, though obviously a completely different vibe. It’s all about the timing of the next crash or yell. Sometimes the movie feels like it’s about to fall apart, and honestly, that’s when it’s at its best. It’s not trying to be A Woman Commands or anything heavy like that. It just wants to see how many times a man can bump his head on a doorframe.

The pacing is breathless, mostly because there isn't much plot to slow it down. Just two guys, a scary mother-in-law, and a very confused neighbor. Sometimes you don't need more than that. 🍺